Honouring Rayna Jaymes: The Queen of Country
by fashiongirl97
Summary: My entry for the Nashville prompt challenge. I've not yet seen the show, nor will i for a while, so there are no spoilers. It's been a long time since Rayna first started her career, and now she's the reigning queen, it's about time the Nashville music community honoured her: don't you think?


**Disclaimer **_I don't own Nashville, the songs, or the artists. _

**Authors note **_This was MEANT to be up about a week ago in all honesty, but college has turned out to be a hell of a lot more mad than I had anticipated. I'm actually fighting a migraine right now, so you're lucky to get it ;)_

_Thanks again to Tiffany for her Beta service _

_And Enjoy!_

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Honouring Rayna Jaymes: The Queen of Country

Rayna looked in the mirror of her en suite bathroom and smiled. It was well over five years now since she had been in that disastrous accident that had caused her life to unravel before her eyes. Five years had passed since she nearly lost her family and the man who was too good for her by miles. Everything had changed however, and slowly they'd forgotten the years old walls between them. It had taken time**,** but slowly and surely they had begun to build their lives up again.

It started with Maddie and Deacon's relationship; going out for coffee, playing guitar, then it graduated to weekends. And now finally, she had both of her parents. Once father and daughter were on good terms, happy and ready to move forward, it was time for mother and father to do the same. Deacon came around for family meals with the girls. They went over to his house, and when the girls were asleep the adults had to talk. There was anger and hurt, but then they forgave one another, and now they all lived together.

Her house had been the wrong place, and his was too small. They moved somewhere new, still in Nashville but out of Belle Meade and the Country Club community, to a country house where the girls could play outside and play music where no one else could hear. In a strange way, the accident made Rayna's music become truer to her country roots. Within the last five years she'd flown back to the top and regained her title as Country Queen.

Tonight, the whole of Nashville's music community was going to celebrate her contribution to music – even Juliette Barnes was covering a song.

"Ray, you ready?" Deacon questioned as he walked into the bathroom, straightening his black tie. He was performing tonight, but what song she had yet to find out.

"Yeah**,**" Rayna replied, adjusting her natural curls so they framed her face. "I'm ready." Deacon then took her hand and picked his jaw up off of the ground, because he was once more reminded just how stunning the woman he fell in love with was. Her dress was emerald green, a halter neck, and an A-line skirt that fell to her knee.

He leanedforward and softly kissed her before they walked out of the house hand in hand. Maddie and Daphne would meet them there, as would Bucky and Tandy**,** **s**o for now it was just the pair of them**,** **w**alking the red carpet as guests of honour. They smiled sweetly, holding hands firmly intertwined all the way. Rayna answered the press, smiling the whole way. (I would suggest changing one of the "Whole" expressions in one of the last two sentences, so the same type word or phrase isn't repeated, but it's of course up to you) "So, are you two finally together?" a reporter had asked them. And for the first time in a long time, she answered in a way that made her happy.

"Yes, we are together, and very pleased about it." She'd said, as Deacon moved his hand from hers and placed his arm protectively around her waist. Of course after that there were numerous questions and photos, but neither really minded. When they finally made it inside the Grand Ole Opry, a round of applause could be heard.

Rayna was modest and brushed it off, but Deacon who stood next to her knew it meant a lot. To be given the same sort of praise her idols had been given; Johnny and June Cash, Don Williams and all the others she loved. She'd faced her fair share of battles, both personally (mainly with him) and professionally. She'd fought to play the music she loved, and recently, that was the music that she admired too.

Everyone wanted to talk to her, hug and congratulate her, so Deacon took a step back and let them. Many of their friends were there, and so were Maddie and Daphne, dressed just as they loved: lace dresses and cowgirl boots. Rayna was handed a glass of champagne before being ushered into her seat with Deacon on one side and her girls on the other.

Everyone honoured the Queen of Country that night, from Juliette Barnes to Tim McGraw, Scarlett O'Connor to the Band Perry and Lady Antebellum. And then there was Deacon, singing Back Home on his old guitar into her eyes, and her girls singing Wrong Song and mimicking her high kicks.

Rayna Jaymes sat in the audience blushing furiously, with Deacon and her girls around her. Some performances were touching, like when Tim McGraw and Faith Hill covered "No One Will Ever Love You". Others however, took a new spin on her songs, like when the Band Perry covered "Stomping Ground". Even Liam took to the stage with Carrie Underwood – much to his delight – to sing "Postcard from Mexico". But the funniest performance in Rayna's eyes was when Juliette Barnes took to the stage to cover "Already Gone". Rayna had heard through the grape vine that since she had taken back her crown, Juliette was even more insufferable. And when she was asked to sing, it took a threat from Marshall to get her to. The look of annoyance in her eyes proved it.

Parts of the night made her feel old, like when Hillary from Lady Antebellum said she'd "Listened to Rayna through her first crush, love, and heartbreak, all the way to now, her first child." But Rayna had a legacy, one that could not be denied. And even though she was extremely embarrassed, she was honoured, too.

She had the life she'd dreamt of since she was a little girl, and even though it hadn't been easy**,** it was well worth the effort.


End file.
